"To have hope in difficult times is not just a romantic or naive attitude; it is based on an essential truth. The history of humanity is not only a history of cruelty, but also of compassion, of sacrifice, of bravery and of kindness. And what we decide to put at the center of this complex story will be what marks our lives." The quote belongs to historian Howard Zinn, but this weekend it was adopted by actress Susan Sarandon in an emotional speech at the Goya Awards gala held this Saturday in Barcelona, after 26 years without returning to the Catalan capital. A few hours later, the speech could have perfectly served for the other great event that the city hosted: in the Tinglados del Moll Oriental of Barcelona, the Mobile World Capital Barcelona celebrated "the preview" of the Mobile World Congress 2026 before more than 400 guests and authorities, also looking at "the history that changed our lives" and that of Barcelona, and making the leap to the big screen, with the launch of Day One.
Barcelona commemorates this year the 20th anniversary of the arrival of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the global connectivity congress organized by GSMA that begins this March 2 and that, until Thursday 5, expects to host more than 100,000 congress attendees from 205 countries; if the conflict in the Middle East does not require revising the figure downwards. It is one of the most relevant technological events in the world and "a catalyst for our scientific and technological ecosystem," said in his inaugural speech at the Mobile Lunch Francesc Fajula, general director of Mobile World Capital.
And perhaps for Carlos Gardel "20 years is nothing" as he sang in Volver, but for technology it is, and a lot. In these two decades, technology has transformed all spheres of society and the economy. Two decades ago, physical video clubs still existed —Fajula recalls— and Facebook had recently entered the market. And for Barcelona, living these two decades hand in hand with Mobile "has been a successful strategy," said the city's mayor, Jaume Collboni, who was still "dragging the Goya gala from Saturday."
So much so that the city would not be the same without Mobile, and vice versa. And what's more, Barcelona and Mobile today "are two inseparable words."
The link between Barcelona and the MWC makes the city the place where the future starts, where the future begins. "It will be one of the cities that will define the technological future of Europe," says Fajula. And for this reason, it is essential that the city accompanies the congress both in its growth expectations —the expansion of El Prat and Fira, La Sagrera station, the growth of 22@...— and by making a "firm commitment to technological humanism and the defense of human rights," Collboni has claimed. For the city's mayor, in fact, "our commitment is not —nor should it be— neutral: we are in Barcelona and this is a city linked to values."
In his speech, the Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat also highlighted Catalonia's strategy to remain at the center of the global technological map: such as the Catalonia AI 2030 Strategy, which plans to mobilize 1,000 million euros, and also the National Pact for Industry 2026-2030 to strengthen traditional industry and promote new strategic sectors.
Returning to the "city linked to values," Collboni was, in fact, the only one who in his speech referred —between the lines— to the conflict in the Middle East, stating that "the best way to prevent wars is not by starting them, but by generating meeting spaces where everyone can come." And the MWC is an example.
Day One, Barcelona's thriller during MWC week
Fostering debate on the ethical use of technology is also one of the main goals of the MWCapital Barcelona foundation to launch itself onto the big screen with the thriller Day One. The main objective? To promote Barcelona's scientific and technological ecosystem to the whole world. In fact, the thriller —which is perceived as one of Prime Video Spain's most ambitious series for 2026— sets the action in Barcelona during MWC week and proposes a plot in which technology, innovation, and digital ethics intertwine in the purest Black Mirror style.
Attendees at the Mobile Lunch were able to enjoy, for the first time, a preview of the series that will premiere on March 13 and will be available in more than 240 countries and territories, will be dubbed into seven languages and will have subtitles in 23. In the six-episode thriller, technological Barcelona is a central element of the narrative. With an investment of 9 million euros, according to unofficial sources, it will be "the best way to promote our city's scientific and technological ecosystem in the world, attract investments and talent," Fajula defended. The Prime Video series is an associated production of the MWCapital foundation, 3Cat and iZen.
The MWC and "the wonderful victory"
And while the military escalation in the Middle East takes hundreds of lives and draws negative and unpredictable effects on consumption, industry, and banking on a global scale, the celebration of Mobile requires us to return to the appointment of Howard Zinn, or rather, to end it. The conflict exists —although this Sunday at Lunch it didn't seem so— and will have direct consequences in the congress, due to flight cancellations in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi. Now, "if we choose to focus only on the worst, we paralyze our ability to act. But if we remember those moments and places —which are many— where a person has acted with greatness, that gives us the necessary energy to act. And, at least, to have the possibility of changing the course of this world of ours that spins like a top. And when we act, even in a small way, we no longer have to wait for a grandiose utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and living today in this present as we think human beings should live, defying all the bad that surrounds us, is per se a wonderful victory." As the victory of a city that decided not to be a spectator of the future.
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